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Aug 25, 2017, 11:00am

The Top Four Soft Skills Any Employee Will Need To Become A Superstar

Weeks ago, my air conditioner broke down so I had to get a technician to drop by my house and fix it. The air conditioner is now working perfectly, but I don’t think I will hire him again. Why? He has the technical know-how to repair my air-conditioner, but when talking with me, he just kept rubbing me the wrong way.

Here's something that all employees should be aware of: Technical skills are very important, but they can only bring you so far. What differentiates great employees from the rest are their soft skills.

At my company, we now have over 140 employees in seven states. From my experience in hiring, here are some of the most important soft skills I think all employees should have, and how you can assess them in interviews:

Communication Skills

If there’s a top soft skill that we hire for, it's communication skills. We’re always trying to earn customers for life, and I can tell you that those who can close sales on the phone are A+ communicators. It’s not just leaders who need communication skills. All your employees also should be held to the same standard. Julie Sweet, the CEO of Accenture North America, highlighted exactly this in a CNBC interview: “I think people underrate the importance of investing in your communication skills as a way to progress in your career.”

Now, communication is about writing well, but it's also about how you understand people and are able to show that when you talk with them. How do you assess it? Just ask them what they think about your job post. You’d be surprised how many people ask questions that were already answered in the job post or talk about things that are not related to it. A great communicator is able to summarize what you stated in your job post, put what you wrote in your language, and even demonstrate that they are the right person for the role. With this simple test, you can see if your communication with this person will be great (or not) in the long term.

A Competitive Spirit

When hiring, I often look for a competitive spirit in job candidates. I’m not talking about that cocky candidate who’s going to walk all over you. Instead, I’m seeing if the person has what it takes to perform at the very best, at all times. This is very much related toconscientiousness, the personality trait most often correlated with job performance.

Competitive people are going to tell you they are going to be the best, follow through with what they say and even go the extra mile. If they make a mistake, they will also show you how they won’t make the same mistake twice. To find candidates who have that fire in their eyes, see if they go beyond the standard requirements of a job interview. I never hire someone who simply meets the requirements of the job post: I want to see a little effort from their side to get the job. They need to show me that they did some research, that they used my product or service, or that they have done something else that gives them an edge over all other candidates.

A Team-Player Mentality

One thing I realized over the years is that top employees are not just aloof superstars. They often are the best team players you will work with. At my company, being a team player means listening well to team members and having the same goals in business. Google did a huge study of its hundreds of teams and found out that “in the best teams, members listen to one another and show sensitivity to feelings and needs.”

In interviews, observe how often a candidate mirrors you with verbal responses and body language. The more he or she is in tune with what you say or do, the better. Simply see if the candidate gives you room to join the conversation, or if he keeps going on and on with his monologue. Also, test listening skills. You could simply mention something in the beginning of the interview and then ask about it at the end to see if they were really listening.

The Ability To Solve Problems

No matter how much training you do, you need employees to proactively come up with solutions. This is the sign of great leadership, and that’s how your company can keep scaling. Now, it’s not just a high-level strategy that you need to assess: Problem-solving when it comes to customer issues is equally important. In fact, Bill Gates demonstrated exactly that when he pretended to be a Microsoft customer support agent named William in a call with a customer. He aced it, by the way, so much that the customer who called again with another question asked for "[the] nice man named William who straightened it all out.”

To test for problem-solving skills, put candidates on a spot to solve a problem and ask them to explain themselves. A great interview question I love to ask is, “What was your hardest business decision and why?” How they explain themselves will reveal a lot about how they solve problems. Just like the Bill Gates story, I also recommend getting new hires on the phone with customers as soon as you can and see how they can think on their feet.

Conclusion

There are a thousand soft skills that you can measure. But remember: Only a few will create the results you need to grow your business. Interview candidates and select them based on these soft skills, and make sure that you keep measuring their growth in this regard even after they become your employees.

Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invitation-only, fee-based organization comprised of the world's most successful entrepreneurs 45 and younger. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of th...